Furnace for the manufacture of coke



(No Model.)

H. M. PIERCE.

FURNACE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COKE.

Patented Nov. 17; 1885.

U\\ J W F m m W Z w/L Em jmm m mmm u a f g g h u PETERi mo-Lm m mr. Wahinglm ac,

lUNirno STATEs HENRY M. PIERCE, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

FURNACE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF COKE.

T1031 forming part of Letters Patent N0. 330,782, dated November 17, 1885.

Application filed April 1, 1885. Serial No. 160,933. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY M. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnaces for. the Manufacture of Coke; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The method commonly practiced in this country for the manufacture of coke consists in the use of small mound-shaped ovens about ten feet in diameter at thebase, and adapted to hold a charge of about four tons, or one hundred bushels. The firing is done at the top, and the coking process proceeds from above downward, first supported by combustion of the upper layer of coal and afterward by the volatile matter and gases evolved from the deeper layers, and which becomes ignited and burns in the upper or vacant portion of the oven. The air to support combustion is admitted in limited quantities'by means of ports or around the top of the coke-oven door. The difficulties encountered by this method are, first, loss from the per cent. of coal consumed in the early stages of the process; secondly, loss from the imperfectly-coked mass, which remains in the oven; thirdly, the loss from or waste of the large percentage of the heating-power of the volatile matter, gases, &c., which burn in the upper part of the oven, and as a result thereof, and, fourthly, the unequal heating of the oven and the un necessarily slow progress of the coking.

To avoid the costentailed by the use of small ovens, and in a measure the loss from the imperfectly-coked mass remaining in the bottom of the oven, large kilns open at the top, have been employed, and the coking process conducted by crossfiring and by proceeding from below upward, for which purpose a series of horizontal air and draft fines were constructed in the bottom of the charge; but by this method, though the limitation of the charge was avoided, the loss from consumed coal still resulted, and the loss of the heating value of the gas and volatile products was augmented.

into effect.

-A third mode of procedure has been to employ a series of vertical retorts surrounded by combustionflues, wherein the gas evolved from the coking-charge was burned to heat the retort and perform the coking. By this means, While the heating value of the evolved gas, 850., was saved, the capacity of the oven and plant was limited, with all its attendant cost and disadvantages, save the unequal heating of the charge.

Having above pointed out the methods commonly practiced and the means employed, I will now first indicate generally the character of myinvention,and then describe specifically the best manner known to me of carrying it W Its objects are to avoid loss of fuel by direct combustion of any portion of the charge, therefore I conduct the process by radiated heat; secondly, to utilize all the heating value of the evolved gases, consequently I utilize said gases as the fuel for producing the heat to heat the whole charge uniformily, and at the same time to avoid the deposit of tarry matter and the production of an imperfectly-coked mass at the bottom of the charge and attendant loss, so I apply the radiated heat at the bottom of the charge; and, finally, to avoid limiting the size of the charge to be treated, and this results as a sequence of applying the heat at the bottom of the charge.

I will now proceed to describe specifically the apparatus which I have devised for this purpose.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a battery of several coke-ovens, constituting a plant or works. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of an oven and its appurtenances. the line as as, Fig. 2, showing the charge or coking chamber. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the liney 3 Fig. 2, showing the main combustion-chamber and radiating orbranch combastion-chamber.

Like letters refer to like parts wherever they occur.

A A A indicate a series of ovens of like character arranged in battery. Each oven is by preference of a rectangular or quadrilateral form, having its outer walls of brick or stone, with a lining of fire-briek, if preferred, and, if

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on' found necessary, a packing or dead-air space between the outer wall and lining, as in constructing same classes of blast-furnaces. In size it generally exceeds an ordinary cokeoven, having a capacity of, say, from forty to sixty tons, being practically limited only by the convenience of the manufacture. At the bottom, and extending longitudinally, (and preferably centrally from end to end,) is an arched flue,tunnel, or combustion-chamber, B, from which at short intervals extend transverse branches b, which terminate inlateral collecting-fines 0, leading to suitable chim neys, c. The number and arrangement of the branches 1) will be such as to form, practically, a hollow hearth or bottom for the whole oven. The chimney a may be of triangular form and occupy the corners of the oven, thus saving space and giving to the oven an interior-form, which facilitates the withdrawal of the coke.

Directly over the combustion-chamber B and its branches. 1) is laid theifloor of the coking-c? amber. At each end of theoven'A are two or more doors, a a, throughwhich the oven may be charged and the coke withdrawn when the coking process is finished, and separating the doors or occupying the spaces be tween the sameat each end of the'ovenis situated a chamber, also of triangular crosssection, and forming a dead-air spaceextending from the floor to the roof-of the cokingchamber.

It will be observed that the triangular form of the chimneys c and chamber 'ceconomizes space, and at the same time frees theoven of corners or pockets, which might not be readily accessible when removing the coke. Each chimney may be provided with a steanrjet to induce a draft therethroughwhen desired.

In the crown or arch of the oven are two or more gas-ports, a, which may be also used as charging-ports for introducing coal when desired. These ports are provided with stop pers for closing the same when not in use.

In the end walls of the oven, just belowthe crown or arch, (one or more ateach end,) are gas pipes d, provided with valves d, andidelivering into a receiving-main, D. In this pipe d, just beyond the valve d, is arranged asteamjet, 6, which may be supplied with steam from any suitable source; and extending from the receiving-main D at a point opposite the pipe (1 is a valved cross-pipe, d, which connects with a deliverymain, E, from which a branch gas-pipe, (1 provided with a steam-jet, projects into the combustion chamber B. The function of the steam-jets in the pipes'rl and d is respectively to act as ejectors or injectors of the combustible gases. Thisconstruction is preferably applied to each endof the furnace. as shown in Fig. 2, so that the heat may be uniformly distributed throughout the passages I).

WVhen a singleoven A is employed, the receiving-main D and delivering-,main E E E may be dispensed'with, and the pipes d d d may beconsolidated and have but a single steam jet and valve.

The above description, which has been limited to a single oven, is to be understood as applying to each oven of the series shown.

I will next describe the arrangement and connection of ovens when a series or plant is employed.

Any number of ovens A, according to the size of the ovens and the capacity of the desired works, are arranged in line in juxtaposition, and the gas exits or pipes d of each oven are connected with receiving-mains D, which extend the length of the battery. There are also delivery-mains E (one for each side of the battery, as is the case of the receiving-main D) extending the-lengthof the battery parallel with and below the receivingmains, and these mains are connected with the gas-pipes d Where the volatile vapors and gases evolved from the coking coal areto be used in the condition in which they come from the ovens, the receiving-main D may be connected directly with the delivery-mains Eby the bypaths 1? alone; or, as it is sometimes desirable to eliminate from the gases evolved in the oven the ammonia,'&c., a condenser or scrubber, G, may be interposed between the receiving main D and the delivery-main E, so that the gas, 850., can beused in natural condition or after treatment,- as prefer-red.

The'devices being substantially of the character hereinbefore specificd, the process will beconduc-ted therein as follows: The ovens are duly charged with the coal to be coked, and where the plant is first originally put in operation the charge is heated by radiated heat from a firev kindled in the combustionchamber B, the gas-ports a areopened, and the fire being urged, the vapors, gases, 850., are .permitted to escape at at until they are found to be of an inflammable character. XVhen this occurs, the valves d of pipesd are openediand theports a closed, which permits the evolved gases, &c., to enter the receivingmain D. Jets 6 may then be started (the valve in cross-piped being opened) and the gas forcedfdirectly from the oven through the pipesdd'r d into the combustionchamber B, (at each end of the oven,) where, being ignited, it-burns, developing an intense heat, which is distributed through the various branch fiues 12 into the hollowcoking-chamber, and radiates into the base thereof, the gases evolved from the charge serving to conveythe heat intoupper layers thereof, so that the coking process. progresses upward from below rapidly and uniformly until the whole charge is coked. Toward the closeof the coking process, if it-is desired: to expedite matters-and insure the perfect cokingof theup- -per layer, thesteam-jet e and damper d in the piped may be closed, so as to cut on the oven from the receiving-main D. The ports a may be then opened an'd the gas remaining in the top or upper part of the kiln may be ignited therein, so as to apply a more direct and immediate heat to the upper layer of the charge. This is an advantage, but not an essential. Where the ovens are worked in batteries, as shown in Fig. 1, the valves of the cross-pipes d may be closed, and the gas, after entering the receiving-main D, may pass the length thereof and into delivery-main E, either di rectly by the by -paths F, or after passing through the condensers, scrubbers, &c., at G.

As each chimney c is provided with a steamjet and a damper, (which are not shown, as they can be of any common and wellknown character,) in case the coking should be progressing more rapidly at one part of the coking-chamber than at the other, the jets can be temporarily turned off and the chimneys closed on that set or portion, and the whole or larger part of the heating-flame turned under that portion of the coking-chamber where the process is progressing more slowly, and thus the balance or equilibrium can be restored. This advantage is one of the incidents of heating by radiation through base-fines of the general character specified.

As the various pipes and mains d, d d, D, and E are provided with suitable valves, steam-jets, and connections, as hereinbefore specified, it is apparent that any one or more of the ovens can be cut out of the series when it is to be charged or the coking withdrawn; that when the battery has once been put in operation that operation can be continuously maintained without other fuel than the gas evolved from the coal in the coking process, and that any oven may be heated either by the gas evolved therein or by gas from any oven of the battery, and consequently the ovens, though arranged in batteries, may be operated independently.

I do not herein claim the method or process set forth in the specification, as the same forms the subject-matter of application No.

139,263, filed July 31, 1884; but I restrict the invention to the apparatus describedr I am aware that it has been proposed to provide an elliptical coke-furnace with pairs of chimneys communicating with a combustion-chamber and its flues, and located at opposite ends of the furnace-bed and outside of the walls thereof. Over such construction the invention described in my claims has obvious advantages of simplicity of structure and economy of production.

I am also aware that, with the exception of ing-chamber, a combustion chamber, and a series of fiues arranged below the floor, and chimneys arranged in the corners of the coking-chamber within the oven-walls, and communicating with the combustion chamber, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. A rectangular coking-oven havinga coking-charuber, a series of combustion-chambers, B b 12, arranged below the floor thereof, and a series of chimneys, c, and chambers c, triangular in cross-section, and arranged within the coking-chamber, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. A battery of coke-ovens having each a closed coking-chamber and basal combustionchamber, in combination with a receivingmain extending along and common to all the ovens, valved branch pipes joining said main with each of the closed chambers, a deliverymain parallel to the receiving main, valved cross -pipes connecting the two mains, and valved branch pipes connecting the deliverymain with each of the combustion-chambers, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 11th day of March, 1885.

HENRY M. PIERCE.

Witnesses:

F. W. BITTER, J r., H. B. MOULION. 

